Tuesday, April 29, 2014

When we are not attached to who we
think we are, life can move through us, playing us like an instrument.
Understanding how everything is in continual transformation, we release
our futile attempts to control circumstances. When we live in this easy
connection with life, we live in joy.

Monday, April 28, 2014

We’ve all got some balancing act going.
Maybe we juggle clarity and criticism; or it could be devotion and
credulity, warmth and vagueness, energy and rivalry, precision and a
need to control. We may struggle to cultivate one and suppress the
other, but sometimes all it takes is a willingness to let go of our
patterns as soon as we recognize them, and to stay open to whatever
comes next.

"It was only a few weeks ago that America was lecturing the gay
community about its intolerance for intolerance, for objecting to a
bigot (in fact, an anti-gay activist, Brendan Eich) running a major
American corporation (in this case, the Mozilla Foundation).
Republicans, including gay conservatives, were particularly upset that
anyone would judge a man’s job performance, especially the man running a
company, by his personal animus towards minorities, many of whom would
be his own employees. So long as he didn’t discriminate against his own
employees, he was free to be a bigot, they told us. Now, they’re all
eating crow. Today, even conservatives are saying (on CNN) that the NBA
simply must investigate whether the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers
basketball team, Donald Sterling, made racist remarks to his girlfriend,
who is black and Mexican. Apparently, Donald Sterling made the mistake
of buying a basketball team rather than taking over a high-tech
company." - John Aravosis, writing for AmericaBlog.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Pluralism fetishist Conor Friedersdorf has been on a tear over at the Atlantic in recent days, inveighing his heart out about why we shouldn’t “punish” people like Brendan Eich, the former CEO of Mozilla, who have actively hurt other people through their at this point ridiculous opposition to same-sex marriage and full civil equality for gay folks more generally. Instead, he and similarly minded members of the high-school debate team suggest, we should “try [our] best to criticize [our] interlocutor's position, not their person,” in order to “preserve the possibility of dialogue, and change hearts rather than shutting mouths.” Since I recently suggested that folks like Eich “simply shut up” in recognition of the fact that, while they are constitutionally entitled to their unique and special anti-gay feelings, they are no longer welcome to express them in the public sphere with the expectation of being taken seriously (or allowed high-profile jobs), it goes without saying that Friedersdorf and I don’t quite see eye-to-eye on this issue.

However, since I know that he is a gay ally (he is sure to assert his ally-ship at least once in each paragraph he writes), I do not want Friedersdorf to shut up. I do, though, wish he would think a bit more about whether his idealistic “hearts and minds” model of social change makes sense beyond the scale of personal relationships—and more important, for whom.
As a starting point, let’s take on the question of what distinguishes gross bigotry, which I think Friedersdorf would agree we should treat with some amount of social stigma, from a reasonable political disagreement in which we should want to persuade the other side of the merits of our position. To be specific, in the Eich case, Friedersdorf has indicated that he would have had no qualms with the ouster if the former CEO had, say, sent out a company memo with the subject line “Attn: Faggots. Stop being so gay with each other”—that would be unquestionably bigoted. But a quiet donation of $1,000 to the Prop 8 campaign (ostensibly) in the name of defending some arbitrary, procreation-based definition of marriage doesn’t cross the line; that’s a person we should try to engage. To summarize: Directly saying that you don’t like the idea of two dudes loving on each other is bigoted, but using your checkbook to try to keep them from doing so as honest men is, if unsavory, rational enough.
What are the special qualities of making a campaign contribution or voting for a marriage ban that makes those acts any less bigoted than punching me in my faggot face? Is it that they are quiet and semi-private, such that if I’m not looking over your shoulder I might not even notice? Is it that your intentions are supposedly based on ideological principles or traditional understandings and so you can’t be accused of personal malice? Or is it that, in a fit of altruism, you feel compelled to help prevent the sinner from further enjoying his sin?
Even if I believed that any of these justifications could exist without the taint of homophobia (I sincerely doubt it), their function in the realm of laws and social conventions is still homophobic. Indeed, there’s something here of Chief Justice John Roberts’ fantastical thinking that only a direct bribe counts as political corruption—if he hasn’t committed a clear hate crime, Friedersdorf doesn’t think we should “punish” with “stigma” a person who is nonetheless hurting gay people. To the contrary, he is resolute in his view that it is possible to oppose gay marriage without actually harboring anti-gay animus and that in this fancy mental footwork, opposition to gay marriage is distinguished from opposition to something like miscegenation, its most obvious historical analog. In a consideration of the comparison, Friedersdorf argues that while the resistance to interracial marriage was based solely on white supremacy (bad), objectors to gay marriage are capable of taking their stand purely in the realm of religion-based, “traditional” definitions of marriage without rejecting gay people or gay sex at all (tolerable).
However, even a cursory look at the history of miscegenation belies this distinction.

Court documents from the period regularly cite religious definitions of marriage as the primary justification for keeping the races separate, and President Harry Truman, a strong advocate for integration otherwise, objected to miscegenation because it “ran counter to the teaching of the Bible.” (For more on the supreme aptness of the comparison, check out James M. Oleske Jr.’s paper on the legal academy’s response to each issue.) Of course, Friedersdorf is right to say that these arguments simply gave cover to plain old basic white supremacy—so why can’t he see that “traditional marriage” arguments are functioning the exact same way with regard to heterosexual/procreative supremacy? As Oleske puts it, “though there may be some religious people in the pro-gay-sex/anti-gay-marriage category … the primary religious argument against gay rights in America has been rooted in biblical passages concerning sex, not marriage.” The logic just doesn’t hold.

"[W]hat Friedersdorf's privilege as a heterosexual leads him to miss is the fact that actual gay people--people who have been sexually and emotionally traumatized since childhood, who have had to listen to people like him civilly debate their worth as human beings for decades, who have more often been made to account for themselves than been able to demand an accounting of the violations committed against them--may very well be just a little too exhausted with bigotry of all stripes to engage in well-mannered chit-chat.
"Indeed, it seems the height of privilege blindness to schoolmarm gays about how to engage their aggressors when Friedersdorf, in point of fact, has no idea what omnipresent psychological torture feels like. If he did, he might better understand why many of us can't really get too exercised about a rich straight dude losing a gig because his company found him a mismatch with its culture; why, in the grand scheme of things, that truly minor incident might not seem like such an Issue of Vital Importance to the Republic.
"If he did, he might get how maddening it is to see your life reduced to another in a list of issues that are acceptable cocktail chatter this weekend."
-- Slate writer J. Bryan Lowder, slamming (straight) Atlantic writer Conor Friedersdorf for his assertion that society shouldn't "punish" homophobes like Brendan Eich, but should instead treat them with "tolerance." (*cough* bullshit *cough*)
Lowder's piece is a must-read. Click here to read it in full.

Although all phenomena are going
through the various appearances of birth, abiding, changing, and dying,
the true person doesn’t become a victim of sadness, happiness, love, or
hate. She lives in awareness as an ordinary person, whether standing,
walking, lying down, or sitting.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
announced Project One America (POA), a comprehensive campaign to
dramatically expand LGBT equality in the South through permanent
campaigns in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. This substantial and
lasting initiative—with a three year budget of $8.5 million and a
dedicated staff of 20—is the largest coordinated campaign for LGBT
equality in the history of the South.“Right now, this country is
deeply divided into two Americas—one where LGBT equality is nearly a
reality and the other where LGBT people lack the most fundamental
measures of equal citizenship. Project One America is an unparalleled
effort to close that gap, and it opens up a bold, new chapter in the
LGBT civil rights movement of this generation. In this grand struggle
for equality, we can’t write off anyone, anywhere,” said HRC President
and Arkansas native Chad Griffin.Project One America is the
very first campaign of its kind to work exclusively on LGBT equality in
Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas—where there are no non-discrimination
protections for LGBT people at the state or local level in employment,
housing or public accommodations, and where each state’s constitution
expressly prohibits marriage equality.“Despite the legal landscape,
it’s long past time that the country stopped treating the South like the
‘finish line’ for equality. HRC has more than 57,000 members and
supporters in these states, and there are millions more fair-mined
people ready to stand on the right side of history,” Griffin said.

A national organization is launching a
three-year, $8.5 million campaign to promote LGBT equality and push for
new legal protections in three Southern states dominated by
conservative politics and religion and known for resistance to change:
Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi.Decades after groups used boycotts,
marches, sit-ins, pickets and mass rallies to end legalized racial
segregation and push for equal protection for blacks, the
Washington-based Human Rights Campaign is planning a new kind of civil
rights movement. It's one based on using chats and front-porch visits
between relatives and friends to foster an environment more welcoming
toward people of all sexual orientations.The idea is simple, and it's borne out
in polls: People are less likely to oppose expanded rights and
acceptance if they know and care for someone who's gay. Activists hope
that's particularly true in a region that values hospitality.

The world of worries we wish to escape
from in the beginning of Buddhist practice is found to be enlightenment
itself in the end. We don't understand this, of course, and so we keep
striving for a distant, idealized kind of Buddhahood, only to reach its
threshold and be turned back the way we came.

Friday, April 25, 2014

While
a growing number of states are recognizing same-sex marriages, in some
jurisdictions blatant homophobia remains enshrined in the laws of the
land. Even basic freedoms cherished by all Americans, such as the right
to assembly and free speech, are challenged -- all under the guise of
protecting "traditional values."

Buddhist Peace FellowshipBPF serves as a catalyst for socially engaged Buddhism, helping beings
liberate themselves from the suffering that manifests in individuals,
relationships, institutions, and social systems. BPF's programs, publications,
and practice groups link Buddhist teachings of wisdom and compassion
with progressive social change.Zen
PeacemakersZen Peacemakers are individuals, groups and organizations dedicated
to realizing and actualizing the interconnectedness of life. The effects
of Zen practice unfolds in the meditation halls, at work, within families
and within community. For the past 25 years Zen Peacemakers have been
developing new forms, methods and structures in the areas of peacemaking,
social enterprise and Zen practice, emphasizing the transformation
of the individual and society.Think SanghaA socially engaged Buddhist think tank affiliated with the Buddhist
Peace Fellowship (BPF) in the United States and the International Network
of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) using a Buddhist sangha model to explore
pressing social issues and concerns. The group's methodology is one
based in friendship and Buddhist practice as much as theory and thought.
The Think Sangha's core activities are networking with other thinker-activists,
producing Buddhist critiques of social structures and alternative social
models, and providing materials and resource persons for trainings,
conferences, and research on social issues and grassroots activism.
Article about: Exploring
the Method of Socially Engaged BuddhismInternational Network of
Engaged Buddhists (UK)International
Network of Engaged Buddhism/
Sathirakoses-Nagapradeepa FoundationA network committed to social justice with ecological
vision and based on engaged spirituality and Sulak Sivaraksa, Our
Founder, Honouring seventy years if living and working for justice,
peace, democracy and sustainable livelihoods.

Consumerism
Consumption and consumerism are now central global issues, touching concerns
such as environment, community development, education, and sex and
gender issues. Buddhists are exploring what unique contributions the
Dharma can offer.

Environment
"The ecological crisis we witness today is, from a Buddhist perspective
a rather predictable outcome of the kinds of deluded behaviour the
Buddha described 2500 years ago. Greed, hatred and stupidity, the three
poisons the Buddha spoke of, have now spilled beyond the confines of
the human mind and village politics, to poison quite literally the
seas, the air and the earth itself. And the fire the Buddha spoke of
as metaphorically engulfing the world and its inhabitants in flames
is now horribly visible in nuclear explosions and smouldering rainforests,
and psychologically apparent in the rampant consumerism of our times."
Stephen Batchelor

Globalization"The relentless drive by world-wide corporate entities
to force their products on to the richer sectors threatens the
global balance of natural resources and the lifestyle of indigenous
people." Sulak
Sivaraksa

Socially Engaged Buddhism

A Buddhist Practice for
the West

by Philip Russell Brown

This article presents
the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF),The "Tiep Hien" Buddhist Order
(The Order of Interbeing) andthe work of the Sakyamuni Buddhist Centre as
examples of Non-Sectarian,Socially Engaged and Ecologically Responsible
Buddhist Practice. Theauthor believes that these kinds of organisations are
likely to beof interest to those Western Buddhists for whom spiritual
practiceis inseparable from social action on humanitarian and
environmentalissues.

Socially Engaged Buddhism
defined and its Role in the West

The term
"Socially Engaged Buddhism" refers to active involvementby Buddhists
in society and its problems. Participants in this nascentmovement seek to
actualize Buddhism's traditional ideals of wisdomand compassion in today's
world.

Because Buddhism has been seen as passive, otherworldly, or escapist,an
"engaged Buddhism" may initially appear to be a
self-contradiction."Isn't one of the distinguishing features of Buddhism
its focus onthe solitary quest for enlightenment?" (Kraft,1985) The view
takenby many engaged Buddhists is"that no enlightenment can becomplete as
long as others remain trapped in delusion" and that "genuinewisdom is
manifested in compassionate action". (Kraft,1985)

Furthermore, the engaged Buddhists who contributed to the recent work"The
Path of Compassion: Writings on Socially Engaged Buddhism(ed.Eppsteiner,1985),
found that in re-examining Buddhism's 2500-year-oldheritage,"the
principles and even some of the techniques ofan engaged Buddhism have been
latent in the tradition since the timeof its founder. Qualities that were
inhibited in pre-modern Asiansettings, they argue, can be actualized through
Buddhism's exposureto the West, where ethical sensitivity, social activism, and
egalitarianismare emphasized" (Kraft,1985).

According to an American Zen teacher: "A major task for Buddhism inthe
West, it seems to me, is to ally itself with religious and otherconcerned
organizations to forestall the potential catastrophes facingthe human race:
nuclear holocaust, irreversible pollution of the world'senvironment, and the
continuing large-scale destruction of non-renewableresources. We also need to
lend our physical and moral support tothose who are fighting hunger, poverty,
and oppression in the world".(Kapleau,1983,p.26.)

One can get the impression from some Buddhist commentators that totake
immediate social action is rather futile because only massiveand widespread
change in the level of human consciousness will significantlyreduce suffering
in the world. Take for example Ayya Khema's wordson world peace:

"Every thinking person bemoans the fact that there is no peace
betweennations. Everybody would like to see peace on this globe. Obviouslythere
isn't any.In this century there has been a war somewhere practicallyall the
time. Every country has an enormous defence system wherea lot of energy, money
and manpower is used. This defence systemis turned into an attack system the
minute anyone even makes the slightestunfriendly remark or seems to be moving
towards an invasion of airspaceor territorial waters. This is rationalised and
justified with, 'We haveto defend the border of our country in order to protect
the inhabitants'.

Disarmament is a hope and a prayer, but not a reality. And why?
Becausedisarmament has to start in everyone's heart or wholesale
disarmamentwill never happen. The defence and attack which happens on a
largescale happens constantly with us personally. We're constantly defendingour
self image. If somebody should look at us sideways or not appreciateor love us
enough, or even blame us, that defence turns into attack. Therationale is that
we have to defend this person, 'this country' whichis 'me', in order to protect
the inhabitant, 'self.' Because nearlyevery person in the world does that, all
nations act accordingly.There is no hope that this will ever change unless
every singleperson changes. Therefore it is up to each of us to work for
peaceinside ourselves. That can happen if each ego is diminished somewhat,and
ego only diminishes when we see with ruthless honesty what's goingon inside
us." (Khema,1987,pp46-47)

In stark contrast to this, Fred Eppsteiner of the Buddhist Peace Fellowshipmade
the following comments about the Fourth Precept of the sociallyengaged
"Tiep Hien" Buddhist Order:

"The fourth precept goes to the heart of Buddhist compassion and directsa
challenge to all practitioners. Is it enough to practiceformal Dharma in order
that some day in the future we'll be able tohelp all living beings? Or, rather,
can the suffering of thesebeings diminish through our compassionate involvement
in the present? Thisprecept seems to imply that contemplative reflections on
the sufferingof living beings is not enough, and that the lotus can grow only
whenplanted deep in the mud."

Eppsteiner goes on to recall "talking to a Vietnamese monk about
Kuan-Yin,the Bodhisattva of Compassion. He (the monk) remarked that
peoplemistakenly think that the only way to worship her is by putting offeringsin
front of her image and praying. Holding up his own two hands andlooking
directly in my eyes, he said, 'These are the best offeringone can give
Kuan-Yin.'"(Fred Eppsteiner in Thich Nhat Hanh, 1987b,p.6)(Italics mine)

In their book "Seeking the Heart of Wisdom", Joseph Goldstein andJack
Kornfield suggest that both inner practice and social serviceare important
elements of the spiritual path. "Vipassana in the West",they say,
"has started by placing a great emphasis on inner meditationand individual
transformation. Buddhist teachings have another wholedimension to them, a way
of connecting our hearts to the world ofaction.

Their first universal guidelines teach about the moral precepts andthe
cultivation of generosity. These are the foundation for any spirituallife.
Beyond this, Buddhist practice and the whole ancient Asiantradition is built
upon the spirit of service. For some, servicemay seem to be simply an adjunct
or addition to their inner meditation.But service is more than that; it is an
expression of the maturity ofwisdom in spiritual life. Understanding of this
spirit of serviceand interconnectedness grows as our wisdom deepens."( Golstein
& Kornfield,1987,p165 ). It is this spirit of service which the following
BuddhisOrganisations exemplify.

The Tiep Hien Order (The
Order of Interbeing) and its Precepts

The Tiep
Hien Order was founded in Vietnam in 1964 during the war. Itderives from the
Zen School of Lin Chi, and is the 42nd generationof this school. (Thich Nhat
Hanh, 1987a,p85) "The words "Tiep" and"Hien" have
several meanings. "Tiep" means to be "in touch with"
and"to continue". "Hien" means "to realise" and
"to make it here andnow". (Thich Nhat Hnah, 1987b,p11)

The order was founded in the following manner. "In 1964, respondingto the
bourgeoning hatred, intolerance and suffering, a group of Vietnamesebuddhists,
many deeply grounded in Buddhist philosophy and meditation,founded ..(the).. Order
to become an instrument of their vision ofengaged Buddhism. Composed of monks
and nuns, laymen and laywomen,the Order of Interbeing (Tiep Hien) never
comprised great numbers,yet its influence and effects were deeply felt within
their country. Highlymotivated and deeply committed, members of the Order and
their supportersorganized anti-war demonstrations, printed leaflets and books,
ransocial service projects, organized an underground for draft resisters,and
cared for many of the wars suffering innocent victims.

During the war, many members and supporters died, some from
self-immolation,some from cold-blooded murder, and some from the indiscriminate
murderof war. At this time, it is impossible to say whether any remnantof the
Order still exists in Asia, even though several members didemigrate to the
West, and have recently ordained a number of Westernersand Vietnamese refugees.

Yet (the) Fourteen Precepts that they recited weekly, whilewar, political
repression, and immense suffering tore apart theirfamiliar world, are now being
offered to us".(Eppsteiner,1985,pp152-153)

"The fourteen precepts of the Tiep Hien Order are a unique expressionof
traditional Buddhist morality coming to terms with contemporaryissues. These
precepts were not developed by secluded monks attemptingto update the
traditional Buddhist Precepts. Rather, they were forgedin the crucible of war
and devastation that was the daily experiencefor many Southeast Asians during
the past several decades."(Eppsteinerin Thich Nhat Hanh,1987b,p5.) They
are as follows:

The First Precept:

Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology,even
Buddhist ones. All systems of thought are guiding means: theyare not absolute
truth.

The Second Precept:

Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolutetruth. Avoid
being narrow-minded and bound to present views. Learnand practice
non-attachment from views in order to be open to receiveothers' viewpoints. Truth
is found in life and not merely in conceptualknowledge. Be ready to learn
throughout your entire life and to observereality in yourself and in the world
at all times.

The Third Precept:

Do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever,to adopt your
views, whether by authority, threat, money, propagandaor even education. However,
through compassionate dialogue, helpothers renounce fanaticism and narrowness.

The Fourth Precept:

Do not avoid contact with suffering or close your eyes before suffering.Do not
lose awareness of the existence of suffering in the life of theworld. Find ways
to be with those who are suffering by all means,including personal contact and
visits, images, sounds. By such means,awaken yourself and others to the reality
of suffering in the world.

The Fifth Precept:

Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry. Do not take asthe aim of
your life fame, profit,wealth or sensual pleasure. Livesimply and share time,
energy and material resources with those whoare in need.

The Sixth Precept:

Do not maintain anger or hatred. As soon as anger and hatred arise,practice the
meditation on compassion in order to deeply understandthe persons who have
caused anger and hatred. Learn to look at otherbeings with the eyes of
compassion.

The Seventh Precept:

Do not lose yourself in dispersion and in your surroundings. Learnto practice
breathing in order to regain composure of the body andmind, to practice
mindfullness and to develop concentration andunderstanding.

The Eighth Precept:

Do not utter words which can create discord and cause the communityto break. Make
every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts,however small.

The Ninth Precept:

Do not say untrue things for the sake of personal interest or to impresspeople.
Do not utter words that cause division and hatred. Do notspread news that you
do not know to be certain. Do not critize orcondemn things that you are not sure
of. Always speak truthfullyand constructively. Have the courage to speak out
about situationsof injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety.

The Tenth Precept:

Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit, ortransform your
community into a political party. A religious community,however, should take a
clear stand against oppression and injusticeand should strive to change the
situation without engaging in partisanconflicts.

The Eleventh Precept:

Do not live with a vocation which is harmful to humans and nature. Donot invest
in companies that deprive others of their chance to live.Select a vocation
which helps realize your ideal of compassion.The Twelfth Precept:

Do not kill. Do not let others kill. Find whatever means possibleto protect
life and to prevent war.

The Thirteenth Precept:

Possess nothing that should belong to others. Respect the propertyof others,
but prevent others from enriching themselves from humansuffering or the
suffering of other beings.The Fourteenth Precept:

Do not mistreat your body. Learn to handle it with respect. Do notlook on your
body as only an instrument. Preserve vital energies( sexual, breath, spirit )
for the realization of the Way. Sexualexpression should not happen without love
and commitment. In sexualrelationships, be aware of future suffering that may
be caused. Topreserve the happiness of others, respect the rights and
commitmentsof others. Be fully aware of the responsibility of bringing new
livesinto the world. Meditate on the world into which you are bringingnew
beings.

The Order is truly non-sectarian. It "does not consider any sutraor any
group of sutras as its basic text. Inspiration is drawn fromthe essence of the
Buddhadharma as found in all sutras. The Orderdoes not recognize any systematic
arrangement of the Buddhist teachingas proposed by various schools of Buddhism.
The Order seeks to realizethe Dharma spirit within primitive Buddhism as well
as the developmentof that spirit throughout the sangha's history and the
teachings inall Buddhist traditions". (Thich Nhat Hanh,1987)

In the Order "there are two communities. The Core Community whichconsists
of men and women who have taken the vow to observe the 14precepts of the Order.
Before being ordained as a brother or sisterof the Order, one should practice
at least one year in this way.

Upon ordination, the person has to organize a community aroundhimself or
herself in order to continue the practice. That communityis called the Extended
Community. This means all those who practiceexactly the same way, but have not
been ordained into the Core Community.The people who are ordained into the Core
Community do not have any specialsign at all. They don't shave their heads,
they do not have a specialrobe. What makes them different is that they observe
a number ofrules, one of them is to practice at least 60 days of retreat,
ofmindfulness, each year, whether consecutively or divided into severalperiods.

If they practice every Sunday, for instance, they will have 52already. The
people in the Extended Community can do that, or more,even if they don't want
to be ordained. In the Core Community peoplecan choose to observe celibacy, or
lead a family life."(Thich NhatHanh, 1987a, pp87-88).

The Zen Buddhist Master, Thich Nhat Hanh, believes that this typeof Buddhist
practice will be acceptable to many Western practitioners. Heand his colleagues
have experimented with it for 20 years and in hisopinion it seems suitable for
modern society.(Thich Nhat Hanh, 1987a,p85.)

The Tiep Hien Order has a small but committed membership in Australia.(See
below for more information)

The Buddhist Peace
Fellowship (BPF)

The
"Statement of Purpose" of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship is asfollows:
"To make clear public witness to the Buddha Way as a wayof peace and
protection for all beings; to raise peace and ecologyconcerns among American
Buddhists and to promote projects throughwhich the Sangha may respond to these
concerns; to encourage the delineationin English of the Buddhist way of
nonviolence, building from the richresources of traditional Buddhist teachings
a foundation for new action;to offer avenues to realize the kinship among
groups and members ofthe American and world Sangha; to serve as liaison to, and
enlistsupport for, existing national and international Buddhist peace
andecology programs; to provide a focus for concerns over the persecutionof
Buddhists, as a particular expression of our intent to protectall beings; and
to bring the Buddhist perspective to contemporarypeace and ecology movements."

The fellowship "was founded in 1978 to bring a Buddhist perspectiveto the
peace movement and the peace movement to the Buddhist community.Buddhists of
many traditions join the Buddhist Peace Fellowship to explorepersonal and group
responses to the political,social,and ecological sufferingin the world. Drawing
on the teachings of nonviolence and compassion,and recognising the essential
unity and interdependence of all beings,BPF members and chapters seek to awaken
peace where there is conflict,bring insight into the institutionalized
ignorance of political systems,and offer help in the Buddhist spirit of harmony
and loving kindnesswhere it is needed."

"As a network of individuals and local chapters, BPF serves to
promotecommunication and cooperation among sanghas in the work of nourishingall
beings and resisting the forces of exploitation and war. TheBuddhist Peace
Fellowship is a member organisation of the Fellowshipof Reconciliation and
participates with other denominational peacefellowships in programs of ecumenical
concern. National staff andlocal chapters respond to regional, national, and
international peaceand social action issues. Operating within the broad
guidelines ofthe BPF Statement of Purpose, chapters retain their autonomy and
functionindependently. New chapters may form wherever BPF members and
friendsare actively supporting each other in practices of engaged Buddhism. Membersand
local chapters have been involved in disarmament, environmemtalactivities, and
human rights, including campaigns opposing politicaloppression of Buddhists in
Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Tibet. Chapterand national activities have
included":

- education and support for personal choices to live simply, conserving energy,
and resist harmful products and policies

- sponsoring teaching retreats and conferences

- letter-writing campaigns for human rights

- participation in vigils and demonstrations

- work with refugees from struggling countries

- support for socially conscious financial investment and consumerism,

- days of mindfulness practice

(The above information has been quoted from the BPF Membership information
Leaflet.)

The Sakyamuni Buddhist
Centre (ACT)

"The
Vietnamese tradition of Mahayana Buddhism to which the Abbotof the Van Hanh
Monastery and director of the Sakyamuni Buddhist Centre,Venerable Thich Quang
Ba, belongs is engaged Buddhism. In thistradition, to practice the Buddha's
teaching is not to withdraw fromsociety but to become engaged with it as Dharma
practitioners. Accordingly,the Sakyamuni Buddhist Centre operates a range of
social welfare programs."(Robleski,in Sakyamuni News,Oct,1991) Two
particularly noteworthy programsare the Refugee Assistance Fund and the Vietnam
Sangha Appeal. Theaim of the Refugee Assistance Fund is "to assist one of
those groupsmost in need, those who have found the Government in their
nativecountry so oppressive that they have risked their lives to escape. Theprogram
assists mainly (but not only) Vietnamese refugees, most ofwhom have been in
refugee camps for years."(Robleski,in SakyamuniNews,Oct,1991,p3.)

The Vietnam Sangha Appeal aims to provide financial support for thetraining of
monks and nuns who will be reestablishing Buddhism inVietnam. "Since the
Communist victory in Vietnam Buddhism has sufferedpersecution and oppression,
leaving it in a very weakened state. Althoughconditions are still bad, over the
past few years the Vietnamese Governmenthas found it necessary to develop
contacts with the outside worldand attend to its international image, and so
there has been sometoleration of religious activities. As part of this new
reform policyabout ten Buddhist training institutes have been allowed to
open,for the education of monks and nuns."

"These institutes are under Government control, but still Sutra Vinayaand
other Buddhist subjects can be studied by approximately 1,000students. These
institutes are, however, desperately poor. Theyare in need of even the most
basic requirements - food, clothing andshelter - as well as money for books and
their study materials."

"If Buddhism is to revive in Vietnam it must have the leadership ofa
trained and educated Sangha....In a country as poor as Vietnam alittle hard
currency goes a long way, and even $7.00 a month wouldprovide a scholarship
that could support a student monk or nun."

"Thich Quang Ba hopes to be able to provide these institutes
withmuch-needed financial support. He plans to send money direct to
theindividual institute, and also wants to launch a scheme in which peoplecan
sponsor a single sangha member, providing him or her with a
personalscholarship. These students, the best and brightest, would be
selectedby the head of their school." (Kearney,1992)

Has Buddhism ever been
Socially Disengaged ?

It is
strictly speaking incorrect to see Buddhism as "engaged"
or"disengaged". There is simply Buddhism and it is by its very
nature"engaged". So when we speak of "socially engaged
Buddhism" we arein fact implying that a significant degree of
"engagement" is partof the particular Buddhist practice being
discussed.

In a recent conversation with Venerable Thich Quang Ba, he emphasizedthe
inherently "engaged" nature of Buddhism and the fact that
"engagedBuddhism" is not a recent innovation. Supporting this view he
madethe following observations: Firstly, the place of "interdependence"in
Buddhist philosophy predisposes Buddhism to social engagement.Secondly, in the
Buddha's lifetime, very few Bikkhus asked for orwere granted permission to live
solitary lives of practice. His followerswere deeply engaged in work at the
village level. Thirdly, we areconstantly being engaged by life. It is extremely
difficult to bedisengaged from life and hence it is really how we engage life
asBuddhists which matters. Fourthly, the Golden Ages of Buddhism inIndia, China and Vietnam provide significant
examples of sociallyengaged Buddhism. Thich Quang Ba is pleased that Thich Nhat
Hanh hascoined and popularized the term "socially engaged Buddhism"
in hiswritings. He also agrees that it may provide an emphasis in practicewhich
is appealing to Westerners but counsels them to see it not asa new form of
Buddhism but as Buddhism with a particular emphasis.(Brown,1992)

It is this emphasis which may have particular appeal to Westernpractitioners
who are not so much interested in the traditional lifein and around the Temple
as they are with individual meditation practiceand the humanitarian and
environmental issues of the day.

Let us conclude with the words of the world's most renowned sociallyengaged
Buddhist,Tenzin Gyatso,the XIVth Dalai Lama:

"Each of us has the responsibility for all mankind. It is time forus to
think of other people as true brothers and sisters and to beconcerned with
their welfare, with lessening their suffering. Evenif you cannot sacrifice your
own benefit entirely, you should notforget the concerns of others. We should
think more about the futureand the benefit of all mankind."(Tenzin Gyatso
in Eppsteiner,1985,p8.).

Outside of me, there is a perfect home
for everything inside of me. And inside of me, there is a perfect home
for everything outside of me. Just let it go, and let it in. In and out,
like the breath. After all, outside has nowhere to go but in, and
inside has nowhere to go but out.

A coalition of 58 LGBT
people and allies -- most of them conservatives or libertarians -- came
out with a statement yesterday on the resignation of former Mozilla CEO
Brendan Eich. Mr. Eich, you'll recall, voluntarily stepped down earlier this month amidst public outcry over donations he made to the viciously homophobic Proposition 8 campaign and various anti-gay politicians.

The
truth, of course, is much different: not a single LGBT organization
commented publicly on the controversy at all, much less called for
Eich's ouster. The campaign against Eich was concentrated almost
exclusively within the tech community and was driven largely by Mozilla staffers and developers. But, to quote Dahlia Lithwick, truthiness knows no debunking.

The
signatories profess concern that the Eich kerfuffle "signal[s] an
eagerness by some supporters of same-sex marriage to punish rather than
to criticize or to persuade those who disagree... We strongly believe
that opposition to same-sex marriage is wrong," they write, "but the
consequence of holding a wrong opinion should not be the loss of a job."

Claiming
that those same nameless LGBT rights supporters are taking "a worrisome
turn toward intolerance and puritanism," the statement then implies
that those who think the Eich controversy resolved itself appropriately
are nothing less than enemies of speech and freedom:

The
freedom -- not just legal but social -- to express even very unpopular
views is the engine that propelled the gay-rights movement from its
birth against almost hopeless odds two generations ago. A culture of
free speech created the social space for us to criticize and demolish
the arguments against gay marriage and LGBT equality. For us and our
advocates to turn against that culture now would be a betrayal of the
movement's deepest and most humane values.

How
utterly absurd. This alleged attack on the "culture of free speech" is a
straw man, pure and simple; nobody disputes the right of Brendan Eich
-- or anyone else, for that matter -- to hold any prejudicial views they
wish or to express those views in public. But Eich's right to his
anti-gay beliefs does not protect him from the free-market consequences
of those beliefs, including the loss of his community's confidence.

What
makes this new "Freedom to Dissent" pledge so repugnant is that it
essentially justifies homophobia by implicitly conceding that it
deserves, as conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat puts it,
"some modest purchase in civil society." Mindful of their impending
defeat on marriage, opponents of equality are now trying to redefine
"tolerance" to mean "affirming homophobic bigotry as a legitimate
worldview deserving of deference and respect" -- and these 58
signatories have bought it hook, line and sinker.

But our culture
doesn't treat other forms of bigotry with "respect" and "tolerance." To
the contrary, prejudices like sexism, racism and anti-Semitism are
overwhelmingly regarded with revulsion and scorn -- because society has
rightfully decided that these toxic social evils deserve to be shamed
and stigmatized, and that sexists, racists and anti-Semites no longer
deserve a seat at the table of civil discourse. The lesson of the
Brendan Eich controversy is that the public is increasingly ready to add
homophobes to that list.

So I'd like to ask every single signer of this "Freedom to Dissent"
pledge: if Brendan Eich had donated to a white supremacist or neo-Nazi
group, would you make similar pleas for "serious consideration" of and
"vigorous public debate" about the merits of those "dissenting" views?
Would you work so hard to uphold the fiction that two morally equivalent
sides exist on issues like racism and sexism and anti-Semitism? Or is it just homophobic bigotry that deserves this special form of "tolerance?"

Thursday, April 24, 2014

President Obama announced his intent
to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts: Jason
Collins, Appointee for Member, President’s Council on Fitness, Sports,
and Nutrition. Jason Collins is a professional basketball player with
the Brooklyn Nets, where he has played since 2014. Previously, he
played for the Washington Wizards, the Boston Celtics, the Atlanta
Hawks, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the New
Jersey Nets. He joined the National Basketball Association in 2001
after playing for Stanford University, where he was a National
Association of Basketball Coaches third team All-American and a member
of the All-PAC-10 first team. Mr. Collins is a partner with the Gay,
Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), a national education
organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. Mr.
Collins received a B.A. from Stanford University.